Diagram Desk

Mind map template

One center word, branches for ideas, no cross-link sentences.

Topic
Mind map: one center word and branches, with no cross links.

Radial notes

A mind map template, or mind mapping template, is a blank center with room for first-level branches and a few second-level twigs. Tony Buzan popularized the radial form. You write the topic in the middle, draw a branch for each major idea, and add keywords on the branches. The hierarchy is the feature. There is one parent for each twig.

That is why it is a weak concept map. Concept maps exist to say 'A does something to B' across the page. Mind maps exist to unload a topic without losing the groups. A bubble map is stricter: describing words only, one level deep. Use a mind map when brainstorming has already produced more ideas than a list can hold.

Example: revising for a history test

Center: 'unit 4 test'. Branches: dates, people, laws, practice questions. Twigs under dates: three dates you can actually place, not every date in the chapter. Twigs under practice questions: the two question types the teacher used last time. Stop at two levels. A third level is usually a sign you started a second map.

Steps

  1. One word or a short phrase in the center. If the center is a paragraph, split the topic.
  2. Four to seven branches. More than seven and the groups are not groups yet.
  3. Keywords, not sentences. Sentences belong on a concept map's arrows.
  4. Color by branch, if at all. One color per first-level branch helps the eye. Rainbow on every twig does not.

Questions

What is a mind map template?
A central topic with empty branches for main ideas and smaller twigs for details. You fill the words. The template does not include another subject's notes.
How is mind mapping different from note-taking in an outline?
An outline is linear. A mind map keeps the topic in the middle so branches stay visually attached to it. The content can be turned into an outline afterward.
When should I switch to a concept map?
When the relationship between two ideas is the thing you need to say, and a keyword on a branch cannot carry that relationship.

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